Radio communication terminal that selects among radio communication networks

ABSTRACT

A radio communication terminal  100  includes: a first storage unit  117   1  configured to store a PRL list L 1  used for connection to a communication provider-provided WLAN provided by a communication provider, a content of the first storage unit  117   1  being rewritable by the communication provider; and a second storage unit  117   2  configured to store a user registration list L 2  used for connection to a user-registered WLAN registered by a user of the radio communication terminal, the second storage unit  117   2  being rewritable by the user. The radio communication terminal  100  selects any one of the communication provider-provided WLAN and the user-registered WLAN, based on the PRL list L 1  and the user registration list L 2.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.12/517,034, filed on May 29, 2009, which is a national stage ofinternational application No. PCT/JP2007/072986, filed on Nov. 28, 2007,and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese PatentApplication No. 2006-322676, filed on Nov. 29, 2006, which applicationsare incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a radio communication terminal capableof selectively using multiple radio communication networks depending ona requirement.

BACKGROUND ART

Along with the recent development of radio communication techniques, anenvironment is being created in which, depending on a requirement (e.g.,communication speed), a radio communication terminal selectively usesmultiple radio communication networks (e.g., a mobile communicationnetwork and a wireless LAN). To this end, a method of having a radiocommunication terminal include a so-called roaming function forselectively using multiple radio communication networks is known (forexample, see Patent Document 1).

A radio communication terminal has a storage unit for storing connectioninformation, or more specifically, a preferred roaming list (PRL), whichincludes information on each of the radio communication networks, suchas their identification information, priorities, regions, andfrequencies used. The storage unit is configured by a flash memory orthe like. Eased on the contents of the PRL, the radio communicationterminal selects an appropriate radio communication network.

In general, the contents of the PRL are rewritable only by acommunication provider (e.g., a communication provider providing theradio communication terminal). In addition, the user of the radiocommunication terminal can add information (e.g., an SSID) to the PRL,the information needed for selecting a radio communication network(e.g., a public wireless LAN) provided by other than the communicationprovider.

-   Non-patent Document 1: “IP Based Over-the-Air Device Management    (IOTA-DM) for cdma2000 Systems 3GPP2 C.S0064-0 Version 1.0,” 3GPP2,    September 2005

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

However, the conventional radio communication terminal described abovehas the following problem. Specifically, there is a case where acommunication provider rewrites the PRL after a user of the radiocommunication terminal adds information on a network for use, such as apublic wireless LAN, to the PRL. In this case, the rewrite deletes theinformation on the network, such as the public wireless LAN, added bythe user. This causes a problem that the user of the radio communicationterminal has to add the information on the network for use, such as thepublic wireless LAN, to the PRL again.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such situation,and has an objective to provide a radio communication terminal capableof efficiently managing connection information (PRL) on a radiocommunication network provided by a communication provider andinformation on a radio communication network added by a user.

The present invention has the following characteristics to solve theproblems described above. The first characteristic of the presentinvention a radio communication terminal (radio communication terminal100) capable of selectively using a plurality of radio communicationnetworks (radio communication network 10,20,21), depending on arequirement (e.g., communication speed). The radio communicationterminal comprising; a first storage unit (storage unit 117 ₁)configured to store first connection information (PRL list L1) used forconnection to a communication provider-provided network (radiocommunication network 20) being one of the radio communication networksprovided by a communication provider (communication provider OP), acontent of the first storage unit being rewritable by the communicationprovider; a second storage unit (storage unit 117 ₂) configured to storesecond connection information (user registration list L2) used forconnection to a user-registered network (radio communication network 21)being one of the radio communication networks provided by other than thecommunication provider and registered by a user of the radiocommunication terminal, the second storage unit being rewritable by theuser; and a network controller (CPU120) configured to select any one ofthe communication provider-provided network and the user-registerednetwork based on the first connection information stored in the firststorage unit, and the second connection information stored in the secondstorage unit.

According to the radio communication terminal, the first connectioninformation used for connection to the communication provider-providedcommunication provider-provided network provided by the communicationprovider is stored in the first storage unit, the contents of which isrewritable by the communication provider. On the other hand, the secondconnection information used for connection to the user-registerednetwork registered by a user of the radio communication terminal isstored in the second storage unit, which is rewritable by the user.

Accordingly, even if the contents of the first connection informationare rewrote by the communication provider, the contents of the secondconnection information used for connection to the user-registerednetwork registered by the user of the radio communication terminal arenot deleted. Therefore, the radio communication terminal allowsefficient management of the connection information (PRL) on the radiocommunication network provided by the communication provider and theconnection information on the radio communication network added by theuser.

A second characteristic thereof is characterized in that, in the radiocommunication terminal according to the first characteristic, thecommunication provider further provides a communicationprovider-provided line switching network (radio communication network10) being a line switching radio communication network used for a voicecall, the communication provider-provided network notifies the radiocommunication terminal of reception of the voice call for the radiocommunication terminal, and the network controller selects thecommunication provider-provided network in priority to theuser-registered network.

A third characteristic thereof is characterized in that, in the radiocommunication terminal according to any one of the first and secondcharacteristic, the network controller performs processing forconnection to the communication provider-provided network, based on thefirst connection information stored in the first storage unit.

A fourth characteristic thereof is characterized in that, in the radiocommunication terminal according to the third characteristic, whendetermined that the radio communication terminal is not connectable tothe communication provider-provided network, the network controllerperforms processing for connection to the user-registered network.

A fifth characteristic thereof is characterized in that, in the radiocommunication terminal according to any one of the third and fourthcharacteristic, when determined that the radio communication terminal isnot connectable to the communication provider-provided network, thenetwork controller performs processing for connection to thecommunication provider-provided line switching network.

A sixth characteristic thereof is characterized in that, in the radiocommunication terminal according to the fourth characteristic, thenetwork controller performs the processing for connection to thecommunication provider-provided network at a predetermined cycle (e.g.,per 10 seconds), and when determined that the radio communicationterminal is connectable to the communication provider-provided network,the network controller stops the processing for connection to theuser-registered network.

A seventh characteristic thereof is characterized in that, in the radiocommunication terminal according to the fifth characteristic, thenetwork controller performs the processing for connection to thecommunication provider-provided network at a predetermined cycle, and

when determined that the radio communication terminal is connectable tothe communication provider-provided network, the network controllerstops the processing for connection to the communicationprovider-provided line switching network.

Provided according to the characteristics of the present invention is aradio communication terminal capable of efficiently managing connectioninformation (PRL) on a radio communication network provided by acommunication provider and information on a radio communication networkadded by a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of acommunication system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the block configuration of a radiocommunication terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention,

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation example of how the radiocommunication terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention selects a radio communication network.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another operation example of how the radiocommunication terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention selects a radio communication network.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a PRL list (first connectioninformation) and an example of a user registration list (secondconnection information) which are stored in respective storage units ofthe radio communication terminal according to the embodiment of thepresent invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.Throughout the drawings, the same or like parts bear the same or likereference numerals. It should be noted, however, that the drawings areschematic, and that the dimensional proportions and the like aredifferent from their actual values.

Accordingly, specific dimensions and the like should be inferred basedon the description given below. Moreover, dimensional relationships anddimensional proportions may differ from one drawing to another in someparts, of course.

(Overall Schematic Configuration of the Communication System)

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of acommunication system 1 according to the present embodiment. As FIG. 1shows, the communication system includes a radio communication network10, a radio communication network 20, and a radio communication network21. The communication system 1 also includes a radio communicationterminal 100. Note that the number of radio communication networksconfiguring the communication system 1 and the number of radiocommunication terminals 100 included in the communication system 1 arenot limited to the numbers shown in FIG. 1.

The radio communication network 10 is a line switching radiocommunication network conforming to a CDMA scheme, or more specifically,to a cdma2000 1x scheme. The radio communication network 10 includes aradio base station 10 a that performs radio communication with the radiocommunication terminal 100.

The radio communication network 20 is a radio communication networkconforming to a wireless LAN scheme such as IEEE802.11g. The radiocommunication network 20 includes a radio base station 20 a thatperforms radio communication with the radio communication terminal 100.

The radio communication network 10 and the radio communication network20 are provided by a communication provider OP. Specifically, thecommunication provider OP operates the radio communication network 10and the radio communication network 20 and provides communicationservices, such as voice communications and packet communications,through them. The radio communication network 10 is used for voicecommunications. The radio communication network 20 is used for voicecommunications (IF phone) and packet communications.

In the present embodiment, the radio communication network 10constitutes a communication provider-provided line switching network,and the radio communication network 20 constitutes a communicationprovider-provided network.

In the present embodiment, the radio communication network 20 is capableof notifying the radio communication terminal 100 of reception of avoice call for the radio communication terminal 100. Accordingly, theradio communication terminal 100 can be notified of reception of a voicecall for the radio communication terminal 100 via the radiocommunication network 10 and the radio communication network 20.

The radio communication network 21 is a radio communication networkconforming to a wireless LAN scheme such as IEEE802.11g. The radiocommunication network 21 includes a radio base station 21 a thatperforms radio communication with the radio communication terminal 100.

The radio communication network 21 is provided by other than thecommunication provider OP. In the present embodiment, the radiocommunication network 21 is a public wireless LAN for use in a store orelsewhere, which is provided by other than the communication providerOP. Note that the radio communication network 21 may be a wireless LANset up in the house or the like of a user of the radio communicationterminal 100.

Information used for connection to the radio communication network 21,or specifically, contents of a user registration list L2 are registeredby the user of the radio communication terminal 100 (see FIG. 5( b)). Inthe present embodiment, the radio communication network 21 constitutes auser-registered network.

The radio communication terminal 100 is capable of selectively using anetwork, among the radio communication network 10, the radiocommunication network 20, and the radio communication network 21,depending on a requirement (e.g., communication speed). Specifically,the radio communication terminal 100 selects any of the radiocommunication network 10, the radio communication network 20, and theradio communication network 21, based on the contents of a PRL list L1or the contents of the user registration list L2 (see FIG. 5( b)), bothof the lists being stored in a memory 117 (see FIG. 2). Note that howthe radio communication terminal 100 selects among the radiocommunication networks is described later.

(Block Configuration of the Radio Communication Terminal)

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the block configuration of the radiocommunication terminal 100. As FIG. 2 shows, the radio communicationterminal 100 includes an antenna 101, a power amplifier 103, an RF/IFconverter 105, a baseband processor 107, a codec 109, a voiceinput/output unit 111, an image input/output unit 113, a short-rangeradio communication unit 115, the memory 117, an operation unit 119, anda CPU 120.

The antenna 101, the power amplifier 103, the RF/IF converter 105, andthe baseband processor 107 are used to perform radio communication withthe radio base station 10 a.

The antenna 101 transmits and receives radio signals of a predeterminedfrequency band. The power amplifier 103 amplifies transmission radiosignals outputted from the RF/IF converter 105.

The RF/IF converter 105 performs conversion between a radio frequency(RF) and an intermediate frequency (IF). The baseband processor 107performs operations, such as modulation, on baseband signals, accordingto a predetermined modulation scheme (such as PSK and QAM).

The codec 109 includes a voice codec 109A and an image codec 109B. Thevoice codec 109A performs encoding and decoding on voice signals, basedon a predetermined voice encoding scheme (e.g., EVRC). The image codec109B performs encoding and decoding on image signals, based on apredetermined image encoding scheme (e.g., MPEG-4).

The voice input/output unit 111 includes a microphone 111A and aloudspeaker 111B. The voice input/output unit 111 is connected to thevoice codec 109A. The image input/output unit 113 includes a camera 113Aand a display 113B. The image input/output unit 113 is connected to theimage codec 109B.

The short-range radio communication unit 115 performs radiocommunication using a wireless LAN according to IEEE802.11g or the like.Specifically, the short-range radio communication unit 115 is capable ofperforming radio communication with any of the radio base station 20 aand the radio base station 21 a.

The memory 117 stores various programs executed by the CPU 120,information registered by the user, and the like. Moreover, the memory117 stores information on the radio communication network to which theradio communication terminal 100 is currently being connected.

FIG. 5( a) is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration ofthe memory 117. As FIG. 5( a) shows, the memory 117 includes a storageunit 117 ₁ and a storage unit 117 ₂. As FIG. 5( b) shows, the PRL listL1 (first connection information) is stored in the storage unit 117 ₁.The PRL list L1 is used for connection to the radio communicationnetwork 10 and the radio communication network 20. Specifically, the PRLlist L1 includes information on the radio communication network 10 andinformation on the radio communication network 20 which is capable ofassociating with the radio communication network 10 to notify the radiocommunication terminal 100 that the radio communication terminal 100 hasreceived a voice call.

More specifically, with regard to the radio communication network 20,information on wireless LAN standards and channels are recorded in anAcquisition Record constituting the PRL list L1. Further, information onan SSID and authentication of the wireless LAN (such as WEP and WPA) isrecorded in a System Record.

Only the communication provider OP can rewrite the contents of the PRLlist L1. In other words, the user of the radio communication terminal100 cannot rewrite the contents of the PRL list L1. In the presentembodiment, the storage unit 117 ₁ constitutes a first storage unit.

The user registration list L2 (second connection information) is storedin the storage unit 117 ₂. The user registration list L2 is used forconnection to the radio communication network 21. Specifically,information on standards, an SSID, and authentication of the wirelessLAN (e.g., WEP and WPA) is recorded in the user registration list L2.

The user of the radio communication terminal 100 can rewrite thecontents of the user registration list L2. In the present embodiment,the storage unit 117 ₂ constitutes a second storage unit.

The operation unit 119 is a group of keys, including input keys forinputting letters and numbers, a call request key, an answer key foranswering a call (incoming call), and other keys. When any of the keysis pressed, the operation unit 119 outputs a signal corresponding to thepressed key, to the CPU 120.

The CPU 120 is connected to each of the blocks: the baseband processor107, the codec 109, the image input/output unit 113, the short-rangeradio communication unit 115, the memory 117, and the operation unit119. By executing the programs stored in the memory 117, the CPU 120performs operations such as transmission and reception of data to andfrom the blocks and control of the blocks.

Particularly, in the present embodiment, the CPU 120 selects either theradio communication network 20 or the radio communication network 21based on the PRL list L1 stored in the storage unit 117 ₁ of the memory117, and the user registration list L2 stored in the storage unit 117 ₂of the memory 117 (see FIG. 5( a)). In the present embodiment, the CPU120 constitutes a network controller.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the CPU 120 can select the radiocommunication network 20 provided by the communication provider OP, inpriority to the radio communication network 21 registered by the user ofthe radio communication terminal 100.

Specifically, the CPU 120 performs processing for connection to theradio communication network 20, based on the PRL list L1 stored in thestorage unit 117 ₁.

When determined that the radio communication terminal 100 is notconnectable to the radio communication network 20, the CPU 120 performsprocessing for connection to the radio communication network 21.Specifically, the CPU 120 determines whether the radio communicationterminal 100 is connectable to the radio communication network 20 ornot, based on the received signal strength (RSSI) of a radio signaltransmitted from the radio base station 20 a.

Even after the determination that the radio communication terminal 100is not connectable to the radio communication network 20, the CPU 120performs the processing for connection to the radio communicationnetwork 20 at a predetermined cycle (e.g., per 10 seconds).Specifically, the CPU 120 determines whether or not the radiocommunication terminal 100 can receive radio signals transmitted by theradio base station 20 a. If a received radio signal has an RSSI of apredetermined threshold or more, the CPU 120 performs processing forsetting up a service set identifier (SSID), a CEP key, and the like withthe radio base station 20 a.

When determined that the radio communication terminal 100 is connectableto the radio communication network 20, the CPU 120 stops the processingfor connection to the radio communication network 21. In other words,the CPU 120 repeats the processing for connection to the radiocommunication network 20 and the processing for connection to the radiocommunication network 21 at the predetermined cycle while the radiocommunication terminal 100 is connectable to neither the radiocommunication network 20 nor the radio communication network 21. Whendetermined that the radio communication terminal 100 is connectable tothe radio communication network 20 before it is to the radiocommunication network 21, the CPU 120 stops the processing forconnection to the radio communication network 21, which has beenrepeated at the predetermined cycle.

Further, when determined that the radio communication terminal 100 isnot connectable to the radio communication network 20, the CPU 120 mayperform processing for connection to the radio communication network 10provided by the communication provider OP. Specifically, the CPU 120determines whether or not the radio communication terminal 100 canreceive a paging channel transmitted by the radio base station 10 a at apredetermined cycle (e.g., 5.12 seconds). When received the pagingchannel, the CPU 120 performs operations, such as set-up for acommunication channel, with the radio base station 10 a.

Further, when determined that the radio communication terminal 100 isconnectable to the radio communication network 20, the CPU 120 stops theprocessing for connection to the radio communication network 10. Inother words, the CPU 120 repeats the processing for connection to theradio communication network 20 and the processing for connection to theradio communication network 10 at the predetermined cycle while theradio communication terminal 100 is connectable to neither the radiocommunication network 20 nor the radio communication network 10. Whendetermined that the radio communication terminal 100 is connectable tothe radio communication network 20 before it is to the radiocommunication network 10, the CPU 120 stops the processing forconnection to the radio communication network 10, which has beenrepeated at the predetermined cycle.

Note that the CPU 120 may repeat the processing for connection to theradio communication network 10 and the processing for connection to theradio communication network 21 at the predetermined cycle whendetermined that the radio communication terminal 100 is not connectableto the radio communication network 20.

(Operations of the Communication System)

Next, operations of the communication system 1 described above will bedescribed. Specifically, a description will be given of an operationexample of how the radio communication terminal 100 selects a radiocommunication network (a roaming operation).

Note that the description below expresses the radio communicationnetwork 10, the radio communication network 20, and the radiocommunication network 21 as follows.

The radio communication network 10: a line switching network

The radio communication network 20: a communication provider-providedWLAN

The radio communication network 21: a user-registered WLAN

(1) Operation Example 1

FIG. 3 shows an operation example of how the radio communicationterminal 100 selects a radio communication network. As FIG. 3 shows, inStep S10, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whether awireless LAN (WLAN) is required or not. For example, the radiocommunication terminal 100 determines the requirement of a wireless LAN,based on a communication speed required by an application (e.g., IP-TVphone).

When determined that a wireless LAN is required (YES in Step S10), inStep S20 the radio communication terminal 100 determines whether theradio communication terminal 100 is connectable to the communicationprovider-provided WLAN or not. Specifically, the radio communicationterminal 100 determines whether the radio communication terminal 100 isconnectable to the radio communication network 20 or not, based on thereceived signal strength (RSSI) of a radio signal transmitted by theradio base station 20 a. When determined that a wireless LAN is notrequired (NO in Step S10), in Step S30 the radio communication terminal100 selects a network which is described in the PRL list L1 (see FIG. 5(b)), not a wireless LAN, and capable of notifying the radiocommunication terminal 100 of a voice call reception. For example, theline switching network is selected here. Specifically, the radiocommunication terminal 100 performs operations, such as set-up of acommunication channel, with the radio base station 10 a.

When connectable to the communication provider-provided WLAN (YES inStep S20), in Step S40 the radio communication terminal 100 refers tothe PRL list L1 to select the communication provider-provided WLAN.Specifically, the radio communication terminal 100 sets up a service setidentifier (SSID), a WEP key, and the like, with the radio base station20 a.

In Step S50, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whether aservice requirement (communication speed) required by the application issatisfied or not.

When the service requirement required by the application is notsatisfied (NO in Step S50), in Step S60 the radio communication terminal100 determines whether the radio communication terminal 100 isconnectable to the user-registered WLAN or not. Specifically, the radiocommunication terminal 100 determines whether the radio communicationterminal 100 is connectable to the radio communication network 21 ornot, based on the received signal strength (RSSI) of a radio signaltransmitted by the radio base station 21 a.

When connectable to the user-registered WLAN (YES in Step 360), in StepS70 the radio communication terminal 100 refers to the user registrationlist L2 (see FIG. 5( b)) to select the user-registered WLAN.Specifically, the radio communication terminal 100 sets up a service setidentifier (SSID), a WEP key, and the like, with the radio base station21 a.

In Step S80, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whether theservice requirement (communication speed) required by the application issatisfied or not.

When the service requirement required by the application is notsatisfied (NO in Step S80), in Step S90 the radio communication terminal100 determines whether or not selection has been made all the waythrough the last network (wireless LAN) registered in the userregistration list L2.

When selection has been made all the way through the last network(wireless LAN) registered in the user registration list L2 (YES in StepS90), in Step S100 the radio communication terminal 100 records theselected network (wireless LAN). Specifically, the radio communicationterminal 100 stores information on the selected radio communicationnetwork in the memory 117.

Also when the service requirement required by the application issatisfied (YES in Step S50) and when the radio communication terminal100 selects the line switching network (in Step S30), the radiocommunication terminal 100 stores information on the selected radiocommunication network in the memory 117.

When selecting the wireless LAN by referring to the user registrationlist L2 (YES in Step S80), the radio communication terminal 100 alsoselects the line switching network in order to be notified of receptionof a voice call. Further, the radio communication terminal 100 storesinformation on the selected radio communication network in the memory117.

(2) Operation Example 2

FIG. 4 shows another operation example of how the radio communicationterminal 100 selects a radio communication network. As FIG. 4 shows, inStep S210, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whether thereis a request to connect to a radio communication network or not. Forexample, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whether thereis a request to connect to a radio communication network or not, whichrequest is made when the user wishes to start using a voice callservice.

When there is a request to connect to a radio communication network (YESin Step S210), in Step S220 the radio communication terminal 100 refersto the PL list L1 (see FIG. 5( b)).

In Step S230, the radio communication terminal 100 performs processingfor connection to a communication provider-provided WLAN included in thePRL list L1 Specifically, the radio communication terminal 100determines whether the radio communication terminal 100 is connectableto the radio communication network 20 or not, based on the receivedsignal strength (RSSI) of a radio signal transmitted by the radio basestation 20 a. When the RSSI is not lower than a predetermined threshold,the radio communication terminal 100 sets up a service set identifier(SSID), a WEP key, and the like, with the radio base station 20 a.

In Step S240, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whetherthe processing for connection to the communication provider-providedWLAN is completed or not.

When the processing for connection to the communicationprovider-provided WLAN is completed (YES in Step S240), in Step S250 theradio communication terminal 100 selects the communicationprovider-provided WLAN and receives communication services, such as avoice call service, provided by the communication provider-providedWLAN.

When the processing for connection to the communicationprovider-provided WLAN is not completed (NO in Step S240), in Step S260the radio communication terminal 100 refers to the user registrationlist L2 (see FIG. 5( b)). The connection processing is determined asincomplete when, for example, the received signal strength (RSSI) of aradio signal transmitted by the radio base station 20 a is below thepredetermined threshold.

In Step S270, the radio communication terminal 100 performs processingfor connection to a user-registered WLAN included in the userregistration list L2. Specifically, the radio communication terminal 100determines whether the radio communication terminal 100 is connectableto the radio communication network 21 or not, based on the receivedsignal strength (RSSI) of a radio signal transmitted by the radio basestation 21 a. When the RSSI is not lower than the predeterminedthreshold, the radio communication terminal 100 sets up a service setidentifier (SSID), a WEP key, and the like, with the radio base station21 a.

In Step S280, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whetherthe processing for connection to the user-registered WLAN included inthe user registration list L2 is completed or not.

When the processing for connection to the user-registered WLAN iscompleted (YES in Step S280), in Step S290 the radio communicationterminal 100 selects the user-registered WLAN and receives communicationservices provided by the user-registered WLAN.

When the processing for connection to the user-registered WLAN is notcompleted (NO in Step S280), the radio communication terminal 100repeats the processing from Step S210.

In Step S300, the radio communication terminal 100 stops the processingfor connection to the communication provider-provided WLAN. In addition,in Step S300, the radio communication terminal 100 may connect to theline switching network so as to receive notification of a voice callreception.

In Step S310, the radio communication terminal 100 determines whetherthe processing for connection to the user-registered WLAN is beingperformed.

When the processing for connection to the user-registered WLAN is beingperformed (YES in Step S310), in Step S320 the radio communicationterminal 100 stops the processing for connection to the user-registeredWLAN. In other words, when any one of the processing for connection tothe communication provider-provided WLAN (radio communication network20) and the processing for connection to the user-registered WLAN (radiocommunication network 21) is completed and the corresponding radiocommunication network is selected, the radio communication terminal 100stops the processing for connection to the other radio communicationnetwork.

(Advantageous Effects)

According to the radio communication terminal 100, the PRL list L1 usedfor connection to the communication provider-provided WLAN (radiocommunication network 20) provided by the communication provider OP isstored in the storage unit 117 ₁, the contents of which is rewritable bythe communication provider OP. On the other hand, the user registrationlist L2 used for connection to the user-registered WLAN (radiocommunication network 21) registered by a user of the radiocommunication terminal 100 is stored in the storage unit 117 ₂, which isrewritable by the user.

Accordingly, even if the contents of the PRL list L1 are rewrote by thecommunication provider OP, the contents of the user registration list L2used for connection to the user-registered WLAN registered by the userof the radio communication terminal 100 are not deleted. Therefore, theradio communication terminal 100 allows efficient management of the PRLlist L1 provided by the communication provider OP and the userregistration list L2 to which addition is made by the user.

In the present embodiment, the communication provider-provided WLAN(radio communication network 20) can notify the radio communicationterminal 100 of reception of a voice call for the radio communicationterminal 100. Further, the radio communication terminal 100 (CPU 120)can select the communication provider-provided WLAN in priority to theuser-registered WLAN (radio communication network 21). Accordingly, itis the PRL list L1 that includes information used for connection to thecommunication provider-provided WLAN capable of notifying the radiocommunication terminal 100 of a voice call reception.

Therefore, the PRL list L1 can include both information used forconnection to the line switching network (radio communication network10) and information used for connection to the communicationprovider-provided WLAN which is capable of associating with the lineswitching network. Consequently, by rewriting the contents of the PRLlist L1, the communication provider OP can manage easily and certainlyinformation used for connection to the line switching network andinformation used for connection to the communication provider-providedWLAN capable of associating with the line switching network.

In the present embodiment, when determined that the radio communicationterminal 100 is not connectable to the communication provider-providedWLAN, the radio communication terminal 100 can perform the processingfor connection to the user-registered WLAN and/or the processing forconnection to the line switching network. Accordingly, even when notconnectable to the communication provider-provided WLAN, the radiocommunication terminal 100 can perform radio communication by using aconnectable radio communication network. Further, the radiocommunication terminal 100 can be notified of reception of a voice call(e.g., a voice call provided via a radio communication network employinga cdma2000 1x scheme).

Furthermore, the radio communication terminal 100 repeats the processingfor connection to the radio communication network 20 at thepredetermined cycle (e.g., per 10 seconds) even after determined thatthe radio communication terminal 100 is not connectable to the radiocommunication network 20. When determined that the radio communicationterminal 100 is connectable to the radio communication network 20 duringthe repetition of the connection processing, the radio communicationterminal 100 stops the processing for connection to the other radiocommunication network (e.g., the radio communication network 21). Thisprevents power consumption which would be caused if the processing forconnection to the other radio communication network were repeated evenafter the radio communication terminal 100 is connected to the radiocommunication network 20.

Other Embodiments

The contents of the present invention have been disclosed as above byuse of one embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood,however, that the descriptions and drawings constituting a part of thedisclosure do not limit the present invention. This disclosure will makevarious alternative embodiments apparent to those skilled in the art.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, when determined that theradio communication terminal 100 is connectable to the radiocommunication network 20, the radio communication terminal 100 stops theprocessing for connection to the other radio communication network.However, the radio communication terminal 100 does not have to stop theconnection processing. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, whendetermined that the radio communication terminal 100 is not connectableto the communication provider-provided WLAN, the radio communicationterminal 100 performs the processing for connection to theuser-registered WLAN or the processing for connection to the lineswitching network. However, the radio communication terminal 100 doesnot necessarily have to perform such processing.

In the above-described embodiment, the radio communication network 10 isthe radio communication network 10. However, instead of the radiocommunication network 10, a packet switching radio communication networkemploying a cdma2000 1x-EVDO scheme or the like may be used.

The above-described embodiment is described by taking a wireless LAN asan example. However, instead of the wireless LAN, a radio communicationnetwork conforming to IEEE802.16e (mobile WiMAX) may be used.

As described, the present invention of course includes variousembodiments and the like that are not described herein. Therefore, thetechnical scope of the present invention should be defined by thespecified matters in the present invention according to the claimsreasonable from the above description.

Note that the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No.2006-322676 (filed on Nov. 29, 2006) are incorporated herein byreference.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the radio communication terminal according to thepresent invention can efficiently manage information (PRL) used forconnection to a radio communication network provided by a communicationprovider and information on a radio communication network which is addedby a user. Accordingly, the radio communication terminal according tothe present invention is effective for radio communication such asmobile communication.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer-program product, comprising: anon-transitory storage media for a radio communication terminal thatcauses the radio communication terminal to: store first Wireless LocalArea Network (WLAN) information controlled by a communication provider,the first WLAN information containing a communication provider providedlist of WLAN identifiers; and store second WLAN information controlledby a user of the radio communication terminal, the second WLANinformation containing a user preferred list of WLAN identifiers,wherein at least one WLAN identifier included in the user preferred listis not included in the communication provider provided list, the userpreferred list is rewritable by the user, the communication providerprovided list is provided by the communication provider that manages acellular network, and rewriting the communication provider provided listby the communication provider does not affect the user preferred listsuch that, after the communication provider provided list is rewrittenby the communication provider, the radio communication terminal canstill select WLAN identifiers in the user preferred list that existedbefore the rewrite.
 2. A radio communication terminal configured to:store first Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) information controlled bya communication provider, the first WLAN information containing acommunication provider provided list of WLAN identifiers; and storesecond WLAN information controlled by a user of the radio communicationterminal, the second WLAN information containing a user preferred listof WLAN identifiers, wherein at least one WLAN identifier included inthe user preferred list is not included in the communication providerprovided list, the user preferred list is rewritable by the user, thecommunication provider provided list is provided by the communicationprovider that manages a cellular network, and rewriting thecommunication provider provided list by the communication provider doesnot affect the user preferred list such that, after the communicationprovider provided list is rewritten by the communication provider, theradio communication terminal can still select WLAN identifiers in theuser preferred list that existed before the rewrite.
 3. A radioterminal, comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory,wherein the processor is configured to: store first Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN) information controlled by a communication provider, thefirst WLAN information containing a communication provider provided listof WLAN identifiers; and store second WLAN information controlled by auser of a radio communication terminal, the second WLAN informationcontaining a user preferred list of WLAN identifiers, wherein at leastone WLAN identifier included in the user preferred list is not includedin the communication provider provided list, the user preferred list isrewritable by the user, the communication provider provided list isprovided by the communication provider that manages a cellular network,and rewriting the communication provider provided list by thecommunication provider does not affect the user preferred list suchthat, after the communication provider provided list is rewritten by thecommunication provider, the radio communication terminal can stillselect WLAN identifiers in the user preferred list that existed beforethe rewrite.